SHSH

The architecture of a building that will become the interface between political authority and its citizen confronts us inevitably with the question of the representation of power by a perennial element. A public building, without neglecting its functional effectiveness, must be present in other issues such as aesthetics, social or ecology.

The existing town hall is a crucial land-mark for the inhabitants of Montigny-Le-Tilleul. The extension is lower with horizontal proportions in order to avoid overpowering the old building. Furthermore the building merges intimately with the park and its environment due to its morphology and its division into several branches. The new construction is barely touching the ground. Most of it seems to levitate next to the lime trees over the park (inherited from the Wilmet Castle) in order to preserve them. It also keeps the horizon clear to the valley of the Sambre river.

In resonance with the surrounding trees, the façades are clad in a wooden curtain wall with irregular rhythm. The vertical arrangement of these is seemingly random, yet is defined in terms of views and needs in natural light.

The organization of the building defines its shape : the three branches and the core traffic allows the public to easily reach the required service.

Status : Competition

Client : Town of Montigny-Le-Tilleul

Place : Montigny-Le-Tilleul, Be

Architecture : Shin Bogdan Hagiwara, Thierry Decuypere, Jorn Aram Bihain (V+)

Structure : BAS

Execution and building services : Bureau Bouwtechniek

Acoustic and building physics : Daidalos Peutz